


trembling hands

by pleasantpeach



Category: Ready or Not (2019)
Genre: AU, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Daniel Lives, F/M, Fix-It, Post-Canon, but at least they have each other, these two are a mess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-06
Updated: 2020-02-06
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:54:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22582849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pleasantpeach/pseuds/pleasantpeach
Summary: Then he laughs. It’s cold and humorless and muddled with tears. But he laughs and he can’t stop. Grace just watches him, continuing to hold his hand in her own. He finally stops, wiping tears from the corners of his eyes.“We’re a fucking mess, aren’t we?”Grace smiles sadly at him.“No fucking question,” She brings his uninjured palm to her lips and presses a gentle kiss to it, “but I’ll clean you up if you do the same for me.”
Relationships: Daniel Le Domas/Grace Le Domas
Comments: 5
Kudos: 183





	trembling hands

**Author's Note:**

> this was requested by an anon on tumblr. if you would like to request something, shoot me a message @hvfflepvfff

The wedding had been in the summer. A June wedding, just like every little girl dreamed of having. It was going to be perfect. By the time the leaves started changing colors, Grace wished she would never see a summer sun again. 

She used to love the summer. She loved going to the beach, wearing a cute bikini she had bought in preparation. She liked going on walks, meeting friends at cafés and sitting on the patio, laughing and basking in the abundance of light. 

Now she had black out curtains in her room, blocking the world from view. She only slept a few hours a night, nightmares creating dark circles under her eyes. The sun mocked her. It continued to burn bright just like it did that morning when it shone through the windows, casting light on her hunters faces as they burst in front of her.  _ Fuck the sun.  _

The only time she stepped outside was to grab her food from the delivery man or to smoke. She was pale and skinnier than she had ever been, but she didn’t give a shit. The only other person who saw her, other than delivery people, was Daniel. He was always too far gone to really notice her appearance, the booze blurring his vision into a foggy haze. Not that he’d care either way.

When the leaves started hitting the ground, Grace was just starting to breathe again. She decided to stop smoking. She didn’t survive a bunch of murderous, satan-worshipping rich assholes just to be taken by lung cancer. Instead she would sit outside and let the breeze wash over her, trying to ignore the way her hands shook. Sometimes Daniel would join her, bottle of scotch in hand, and sometimes he never left his bed. 

She had moved into one of Daniel’s guest rooms not long after they were discharged from the hospital. She had taken one step into her and Alex’s old apartment before turning around and running back to the car, leaning against it as she threw up. Daniel offered her a place, and she said yes. She didn’t want to be alone and knew that he shouldn’t be left alone. It was a good arrangement they had, each other’s presence just enough to keep the other from drowning in their own misery. 

Grace took up knitting. It kept her hands busy, kept her from picking up a cigarette or a bottle. It was good for her hand, and got her fingers working. They still trembled from time to time, making her drop stitches and curse under her breath as she tried to fix them 

“Since when was knitting such an aggressive pass time?” Daniel teased.

“Better shut up while I’m counting, or I’ll show you aggressive it can be,” She replied, pointing a needle at him, earning a laugh from Daniel.

Her hands had been so stiff after surgery, she could barely hold a cup or flip Daniel off when he was being a dick. Knitting was good. Knitting was healthy. She’d already made three pairs of socks and two hats, most of which went to Daniel. He wore the socks proudly. He liked shoving his foot in her face when they sat on the couch together, claiming that she really needed to see her amazing work. She would chuckle and push his feet away, telling him he’s stinking up her hard work with his nasty feet. On the inside, she felt the warmth of pride swell in her heart. It was a good feeling, and those were few and far between nowadays. 

The nights were colder now and the cold was nice. The cold kept her awake and away from the nightmares. They woke her up at the same time every night and she rarely went to sleep after they did. She opted to sit outside instead and let the bitter air wash over her. Sometimes Daniel would join her, sometimes he was already there when she woke up. They didn’t talk about it. They just sat in silence as the stars looked down on them. Grace with her knitting and Daniel with his bottle. 

* * *

It was November now, four months since she had watched her husband and his family implode. Four months since she’d felt Daniel’s blood stream between her fingers. Four months since he’d saved her. She was sitting outside, working on her first sweater, when she heard something shatter inside the house. It was 3am. Grace had already been awake for an hour. She dropped her needles in shock, her body instantly tensing up, ready for action. She tiptoed inside, her head on a swivel, looking for intruders that most likely weren’t there, but her body didn’t know that. Then there was a loud thump and a soft “fuck” and her body relaxed. She made her way towards the sound, stopping in front of Daniel’s door. Her hand shook as she tried to grip the handle. It took her a few tries to turn in and push the door open, when she did she poked her head into the dark room, calling his name.

“Daniel?” 

A groan came from a pile on the floor. She flipped the light switch and the pile groaned again, louder.

“Jesus, are you trying to kill me?”

“Sorry,” Grace said and she flipped the light back off. She made her way over to Daniel, who was now sitting against the side of the best. Broken glass surrounded him and the strong scent of alcohol wafted from a puddle on the floor. Daniel held his hand to his chest. Even in the dark, Grace could see the slight trickle of blood running down his palm. Carefully avoiding glass, Grace crouched beside him, taking his hand in her own.

“What happened?” She asked, carefully pulling him to his feet and towards the bathroom. 

“Nothing.” He answered quietly. Barely above a whisper, Grace wondered if he’d said anything at all. She sat him on the toilet seat and went through the very sparse first aid kit, finding some Scooby-Doo band-aids. 

“Daniel, your hand is cut open. That’s not nothing.”

It’s quiet again as she cleans his hand with a wet washcloth and applying the band-aids. It wasn’t perfect, but it would do. The whole time, his eyes are closed, head leaning back against the wall. When she finishes, she gently traces the lines on his palm with her finger, feeling the urge to bring his hand to her lips and kiss away the pain. If only it were that easy. His hand quivered as she traced and she pulled away, letting his hand rest on his thigh. 

Grace sat back on the ground, leaning on the opposite wall, and watched him. His eyes remained closed, bare chest rising and falling. His forehead, scrunched together with anxiety, shone with sweat despite the cool temperature. His beard was a mess from days of not shaving but  _ god  _ he was beautiful. Grace could look at him all day, explore every part of his body until she had it memorized. She wanted so badly just to reach out and touch him, hold him, just  _ be  _ with him. 

His eyes finally opened, dark brown staring into soft blue. 

“I couldn’t save you.” He said. Grace’s eyes questioned him but she didn’t speak. She knew he would tell her if he wanted to.

“I watched you, on that fucking table and they...they killed you and I couldn’t do a damn thing about it.” Tears were quietly streaming down his cheeks now, his gaze no longer on Grace. 

“When I woke up, I grabbed the first thing I saw and just threw it. I had to make sure I wasn’t dreaming, that I was here in this house and you were here too. I don’t know, it was stupid but I just needed to do...something.” His eyes meet hers again and he sees the tears that now grace her cheeks. It’s quiet again as they just look at each other. Daniel climbs off the toilet to join her on the floor, eyes never leaving each other. His unwounded hand reaches up to stroke her cheek, wiping the tears. Her own hand cups, holding it there. 

“I’m so sorry I woke you up,” He says when he finally finds his voice. She shakes her head with a rueful grin. 

“I was already awake. Besides, I don’t sleep much as is. You’re not the only person who has nightmares.” 

“Oh.” He says in lame response, looking down at his hand covered in Scooby-Doo band-aids. Then he laughs. It’s cold and humorless and muddled with tears. But he laughs and he can’t stop. Grace just watches him, continuing to hold his hand in her own. He finally stops, wiping tears from the corners of his eyes.

“We’re a fucking mess, aren’t we?”

Grace smiles sadly at him. 

“No fucking question,” She brings his uninjured palm to her lips and presses a gentle kiss to it, “but I’ll clean you up if you do the same for me.”

Daniel nods, eyes still shining with tears, but now Grace can see something else shining there too. 

Hope? God, she remembers when she had hope. 

Maybe one day she’ll feel hope again.    
Daniel pulls her to her feet and leads her to her bedroom. She sits on the bed, patting the spot next to her.    
“Stay?” She asks. He answers by falling on the bed next her, pulling her into his chest and holding her tight, as if she might float away. 

“I’m here. I’m not going anywhere,” she says quietly.

“We’re here,” he corrects, “We’re here and we’re alive. We’re going to be okay.”

Grace closes her eyes and lets Daniel’s breathing lull her to sleep. She’s not afraid of what might come when she does, she knows Daniel will be there when she wakes. Her own personal sun, shining over her, the light guiding her out of the dark.

She will feel hope again.

Daniel places a sloppy kiss on her cheek.

Maybe she already does. 


End file.
